I'm not saying I'm for those over open source licenses in general, but Prusa brought up some fair questions when discussing the OCL. Essentially: define "personal use." Have I violated a non-commercial license if I print this keyboard and then use it to build someone a website? Does CC-NC mean a Prusacaster -- or any guitar knob with such a license for that matter -- is strictly barred from being taken on tour? Or used to record albums that are then sold? (And I say "guitar" knob, but I'm choosing an example a little consciously that could exist in any variety of controls, instrument and otherwise.)
Where are the lines of that when it's physical things? How far downstream does that go if it isn't CC-NC-SA in particular?
I'm not really sure that Creative Commons had the idea of physical production in mind, given that it dates back to a time when we were more broadly talking about digital piracy, and I honestly haven't kept up with its evolution much in more recent years. But maybe it just doesn't make the same sense for designs of physical things, for comparable reasons to why it wouldn't make sense for code -- and, conversely, open source projects that opt to use CC licenses for assets.
(None of this would stop me from attempting to build/mod one for fun, mind you. It just raises what a more averse person might call risks, and what I will at least call curiosities.)
I have stuck with the System76 Launch keyboard but I basically always consider Keychron first when looking.
I’m a happy user of their keyboards.
Now, what is interesting is if someone were to blatantly violate the license and start manufacturing commercial keyboards. I believe their only recourse would be to revoke their license of the design files, and then it would be copyright infringement. The thing is, I don't know how copyright law would handle any damages.
I don't know if making a physical product could be a violation of copyright, regardless of if you had a license to use the design in the first place. I could definitely imagine a company trying to enforce this, and a judge throwing it out because it should have been handled with patents.
Again, not a lawyer, just speculating on a forum.
1 - Longer battery life (I have a bluetooth + plug-in model). The battery life is crazy-low, even when not in use and the lights are turned off. I keep it plugged in all the time, as a result. I don't really get why it can't last, idle, about as long as a game controller does (many weeks! And those don't have much space for batteries).
2 - No light pattern button. That thing exists only to accidentally hit and switch it away from "gently and evenly lit" which is one of the very-few non-insane patterns available. Brush it by accident, there goes a minute or so of your time getting it back to something that's not trying to look like a disco ball. And it's right on the corner, so you will hit it by accident when moving the keyboard around or reaching for something just past it. Easily my least-favorite thing about the board, despite how bad the next item is.
3 - Mine has a kind of tray-design around the edge, resulting in about a 1/8" lip, that looks very cheap to assemble (so that's nice, lower price) but means it collects EVERYTHING out of the air and is a pain in the ass to clean. It also makes it look kinda like someone's 3D printed hobby project. Like it's an ugly keyboard, both because of the design and because it's visibly collecting dust and hair just a few days after its last keys-removed full cleaning.
- It's way, way too heavy. Heavier than my Northgate Omnikey Ultra. Like it's more adept as an improvised weapon as much as any keyboard ever was.
- Didn't come with all black enter and escape caps (they were red orange), requiring purchasing an expensive complete replacement set.
Minor areas for improvement:
~ Battery life could be better.
~ Charging takes a long time and I'm unsure if there's a charge finished indicator.
~ Would be nice to have an offline flash update & macro programmer to not depend on cloud-based software that will eventually evaporate like everything else.
I do like:
+ Replaceability of switches as I've tried a bunch, settling on Kailh Box White V2.
+ RGB effects can be turned off completely or show a solid color at low brightness.
+ Native USB proprietary wireless dongle, BT with 3 profiles, or wired.
+ Wired or wireless connection while charging.
+ PC vs. Mac layout as a physical switch.
I've been using a narrow keyboard and ergonomic mouse for 2 weeks, and my shoulder pain is starting to go away.
I put a number pad on the left and it's much easier to key in numbers with my left hand instead of using my mouse with my left hand.
I wanted to use it but it has one fatal flaw - the backlighting is unusable.
The keys it comes with are decent, but opaque, so the backlight doesn't actually illuminate the keys. And if you get shine-through keycaps, the LEDs are mounted below the center of the key instead of above, and you don't get good illumination.
sigh.
I used to use topre realforce rgb, then tried keychron, now use steelseries apex pro exclusively.
if they could fix it, giving me illuminated shine-through keys, I would go back to stay.
What if I take the design, print it, include the thing in a staged photo, and sell prints of the photo?
What if I skip the printing and use the design files as a basis for a rendered photo or animation?
What if I print the design, then use a 3D scanner to recreate a file from the physical artifact?
> This project is source-available. Personal and educational use is allowed, and commercial use is allowed for compatible accessories. You may not copy and sell Keychron keyboards or mice [...].
Hmm, without patents it would definitely be fine to scan an existing one and recreate it. I think this would be fine too, but any time you are clearly going out of your way to skirt the law is a red flag. The thing is, I don't even think technical designs are copyrightable outside of their aesthetic value.
What if I take the design, print it, include the thing in a staged photo, and sell prints of the photo?
What if I skip the printing and use the design files as a basis for a rendered photo or animation?
If it is indeed covered by copyright, then these would likely be violations, though I guess it depends on how prominent it is in the staged photo.
...this stuff is fun to think about.
It can be a dangerous rabbit hole if you let it, but if you're just looking for an approximation of the Model M but that requires less force, then something with "Brown" switches might be up your alley. This one in particular has a similar aesthetic, comes with Brown switches as an option, and at a pretty good price.
https://www.keychron.com/products/keychron-c2-pro-8k-qmk-via...
More companies should do what they do - the less ethical players are already cloning knockoffs anyways, stuff like this builds brand loyalty and probably makes it more likely that people stick with Keychron over going for the knockoffs.
Production-grade hardware design files for Keychron keyboards and mice.
Study real CAD. Remix plates and cases. Design compatible accessories. Learn from how real products are built.
This project is source-available. Personal and educational use is allowed, and commercial use is allowed for compatible accessories. You may not copy and sell Keychron keyboards or mice, and you may not use Keychron trademarks as your own branding.

If you're new, begin with one of these paths:
Browse keyboard files
Explore C Pro, Q, Q Pro, Q HE, Q Max, Q Ultra 8K, K Pro, K Max, K HE, V Max, and P HE models.
Browse mouse files
Explore shell and full-model files for M and G series mice.
Open the files in CAD software
Read the File Format Guide for STEP, DWG, DXF, and PDF compatibility.
Learn how to remix or modify a design
Start with the Getting Started Guide.
See the current filesystem inventory
Open the Repository Inventory generated from the repo itself.
Contribute fixes or improvements
Read Contributing for workflow, file standards, and submission rules.
Join the community
Join the Keychron Discord to share builds, ask questions, and help grow the hardware modding community.
Understand the license before building
Read the License FAQ.
| Series | Type | Models | Components |
|---|---|---|---|
| C Pro Series | Keyboard | C3 Pro | Plate, Full Model |
| Q Series | Keyboard | Q0 Plus, Q1–Q12, Q60, Q65 | Case, Plate, Encoder, Full Model, Stabilizer, OSA Keycap |
| Q Pro Series | Keyboard | Q1 Pro–Q14 Pro (10 models) | Case, Plate, Encoder, Full Model, Stabilizer, KSA Keycap |
| Q HE Series | Hall Effect | Q1 HE, Q3 HE, Q5 HE, Q6 HE, Q12 HE | Plate, Full Model, selected case parts |
| Q Max Series | Keyboard | Q6 Max | Case, Plate, Full Model, Stabilizer |
| Q Ultra 8K Series | Keyboard | Q6 Ultra 8K | Plate |
| K Pro Series | Keyboard | K1 Pro–K17 Pro (16 models) | Case, Plate, Full Model, Stabilizer |
| K Max Series | Keyboard | K0 Max, K1 Max–K17 Max (12 models) | Case, Plate, Full Model, Stabilizer, Keycap on selected models |
| K HE Series | Hall Effect | K2 HE–K10 HE | Case, Plate, Full Model, Stabilizer, Keycap (K2 HE; other models pending) |
| L Series | Keyboard | L1, L3 | Case, Plate, Knob, Full Model, Stabilizer |
| V Max Series | Keyboard | V1 Max–V10 Max | Case, Plate, Encoder, Full Model, Stabilizer, OSA Keycap |
| P HE Series | Hall Effect | P1 HE | Case, Plate, Full Model, Stabilizer, Keycap |
| Mouse Series | Mouse | M1–M7, G1, G2 (11 models) | Shell, Full Model |
88 device models. 686+ design files. Source-available. Accessory-friendly.

C-Pro-Series/
C3 Pro/ — Plate and full-model files for the C3 Pro
Q-Series/
Q0 Plus/ — Numpad files alongside Q1–Q12, Q60, and Q65
Q-HE-Series/
Q12 HE/ — Hall Effect files alongside Q1 HE, Q3 HE, Q5 HE, and Q6 HE
Q-Pro-Series/
Q1 Pro/ — Wireless Q-series hardware files across 10 models
Q-Max-Series/
Q6 Max/ — Wireless Q-series case, plate, full model, and stabilizer files
Q-Ultra-8K-Series/
Q6 Ultra 8K/ — Ultra 8K plate files
K-Pro-Series/
K1 Pro/ — Low-profile and standard K Pro models through K17 Pro
K8 Pro/ — Example model folder with `K8-Pro-Keycap.stp`
K-Max-Series/
K0 Max/ — Numpad files alongside K1 Max–K17 Max keyboard models
K-HE-Series/
K2 HE/ — Example model folder with Cherry and OSA keycap STEP files
V-Max-Series/
V1 Max/ — Tri-mode keyboard hardware files across V1–V10 Max
P-HE-Series/
P1 HE/ — Lemokey Hall Effect keyboard files
L-Series/
L1/ — Aluminum keyboard files with plate, case, knob, and stabilizers
Mice/
M1/ — Shell and full model
Keycap Profiles/
Cherry Profile/ — Reference profile docs alongside KSA, LSA, MDA, OEM, and OSA
docs/
file-format-guide.md — How to open and edit these files
getting-started.md — First-stop guide for browsing and remixing
3d-printing-guide.md — Practical printing guidance for compatible parts
scripts/
repo_inventory.py — Regenerates the repository inventory from the live tree
Making production hardware files available is a meaningful contribution to the broader hardware and keyboard community.
The license is designed to support the ecosystem around Keychron products while still protecting Keychron's core hardware business. In practice, that means compatible accessories and add-ons can grow around the platform, but copying and selling Keychron keyboards or mice, or trading on Keychron trademarks, is not allowed.
Ways to contribute:
Note: This project is source-available with limited commercial use for compatible accessories. By contributing, you agree your work falls under the same license.
This project is source-available. The files may be used for personal and educational work, and for commercial compatible accessories as described in the license.
You may not use these files to copy, manufacture, sell, or distribute Keychron keyboards or mice, or substantially similar products, and you may not use Keychron trademarks as your own branding. Commercial accessory use is allowed within the limits of the license.
See the LICENSE file for full terms.
Built by Keychron — source-available hardware design files for the community.